Whole Exome Sequencing of the Rat Liver Following AFB1 Exposure

A recently developed rat whole exome sequencing panel was used to evaluate somatic mutations across the rat exome. We applied the panel to discover early molecular events in rat liver following acute and sub-chronic exposure to Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a widely studied, potent mutagen and heptcarcinogen associated with the early onset of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Whole exomes of F-344, rat liver exposed at 14, 90 and 90 days plus a recovery 60-day, non-exposure period, herein described as the 150-day time point, were sequenced followed by an impact analysis of the identified mutations on cancer transcriptional networks.